My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 72
Just like the first time she met Friedrich’s reincarnation, or when she encountered Skyler’s reincarnation, or even when she saw Prince Iskanda’s reincarnation after the failed assassination attempt—her mind went blank.
It was Lennon.
Marquis Lennon Kysis, the lover from her past life. A chancellor, one of the prime suspects in her murder.
“Gah!”
Regina hastily covered her face with her hands. Luckily, it seemed Lennon’s reincarnation hadn’t noticed her yet. If he had recognized her, he would have approached by now.
‘I need to get out of here before Lennon spots me.’
Having three creditors was overwhelming enough; she couldn’t afford to add another.
“Miss Heather, are you alright? You don’t look well.”
“Yes, yes. I suddenly feel dizzy.”
“That’s unfortunate. The banquet is about to start, try to hang in there. If it’s too much, you can lean on me.”
“No, thank you. I’ll manage like this.”
Regina politely declined the runner-up’s offer and buried her face deeper into her palms.
The banquet wouldn’t start until the Emperor, the Empress, or in their absence, the Crown Prince made an appearance. Until then, attendees must wait after entering. It wasn’t explicitly stated as law, but it was a powerful unwritten rule of the social world.
In other words, she was trapped here until the number one person arrived. Worst of all, with Lennon’s reincarnation!
‘Hurry up, you lot. At this rate, you’re going to kill off your ancestor.’
While internally urging her sluggish descendants to move their heavy butts, Regina cautiously peered through her fingers at Lennon’s reincarnation. He retained the beauty of his past life, much like Friedrich, Skyler, and Prince Iskanda.
With his faded golden hair and gray eyes, he had a neat and composed demeanor, which made him stand out even in the noisy social hall.
It was alarmingly her type, causing Regina to squeeze her eyes shut. Such a preference. Whether in the past or now, the sight of a handsome man seemed to cloud her judgment.
She had just been caught staring at Bliss a moment ago, and now she was mesmerized by the appearance of Lennon’s reincarnation. Truly an incurable trait.
‘Chasing after handsome men only ever leads to ruin and death.’
Even after experiencing such outcomes, she seemed doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Did she lack the ability to learn from her past? Wrapped in self-doubt, Regina was distracted by the voices of other students.
“It’s no surprise, but the Dean really is remarkably handsome. A sword master with those looks? Life really isn’t fair.”
“He became the second youngest sword master in history, right? He was so close to breaking the record set by the Great Empress Yekarna.”
Yekarna had become a sword master at twenty-one. Bliss, with his memories of a past life, could have broken that record easily if he had wanted to. He must have chosen not to.
From what Regina recalled, Skyler was quite competitive and craved recognition. Despite being the austere Margrave of the North who seemed cynical to everything in the world, he was meticulous about his appearance and hated losing. He was the type to walk away pretending not to care, only to stew over his loss and strategize for the next encounter, losing sleep over it.
‘Just break the record already.’
It would have bothered him.
Regina felt unsettled for no reason. Personally, she wasn’t much for seeking glory. If she had been, she would have trained relentlessly from a young age to claim the title of youngest sword master ever before starting this life.
“Who is that gentleman there? The one with ash-blonde hair, handsome. He’s as striking as the Dean.”
“Oh, that’s Count Hartmann. I met him once at a ball.”
Whispers of awe resonated around her.
“That Count Hartmann? The one?”
“I heard he hardly ever shows up at these events. What a rare sight!”
Regina listened intently, hoping to glean information about Lennon from the conversations, but felt frustrated. She knew the nobility of 200 years ago inside out, but she was clueless about the current social elite. Why were they so surprised about ‘that Hartman’ being here?
“He was rumored to be the wealthiest man in the empire….”
As if someone had read Regina’s inner thoughts, an unknown student kindly provided an explanation. Silently thanking them, Regina peeked through her fingers at Lennon’s reincarnation.
A tycoon. That suits Lennon well. With his skills as a former chancellor who managed an empire, running a company would be like swallowing cold soup.
Just as she swiftly closed her fingers, worried about making eye contact, the doors of the banquet hall swung open.
“His Highness, Fabian Gustav Villarperosa Lee Enfield, is entering.”
A bold shout echoed across the hall, prompting everyone to straighten up and show their respects. Regina bowed her head more than others. It was not out of a desire to respectfully greet her young descendant, but because she didn’t even want to show her side profile to Lennon’s reincarnation.
As the crowd parted to let the Crown Prince take his seat at the high table, he spoke.
“Regrettably, the Emperor wants to spend some private time with the Empress tonight, so it appears we will have to enjoy the banquet amongst ourselves.”
Laughter filled the room at the Crown Prince’s joke. Regina, seizing the moment, quietly slipped away. Only once she had successfully escaped the banquet hall did she finally let out the breath she had been holding.
She’s never going back there. Even if it means slashing her stomach open, she would get the doctor to declare her too ill to attend the banquet. She can’t get entangled with Lennon’s reincarnation in this lifetime.
With her mana subtly activated to avoid drawing attention, Regina swiftly moved while staying under the radar.
She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. The imperial palace was teeming with powerful figures. As she was almost at the library, being cautious and alert of her surroundings.
“Where are you heading so hastily?”
A voice from behind made her freeze in her tracks.
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